Pneumatic hand control for talking-machines.



c. E. WOODS.

PNEUMATIC HAND CONTROL FOR TALKING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. Il. |914.

Patented Apr. 3, 191.7.

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CLINTON E. WOODS, 0F BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN GRAPI-IO- PHONE COMPANY, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION VIRGINIA.

PNEUIVIATIC HAND CONTROL FOR TALKING-MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 3, 1917.

Application filed. September 11, 1914. Serial No. 861,192.

To aZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, CLINTON E. WooDs, a

citizen of the United States, and a resident of Bridgeport, Fairfield county, Connecticut, (whose post-otice address is care of American Graphophone Co., Bridgeport, Connecticut,) have invented a new and useful Improvement in Pneumatic Hand Controls for rlalking-lvfachines, which invention is fully set forth in the following specication.

' This invention consists of a hand-control for talkingmachines, particularly those used for dictating correspondence and the like. It is now usual in such machines to locate upon or adjacent to the mouthepiece of the dictationtube a device for starting and stopping the machina-org rather, the hand-actuated member for controlling the start-and-stop mechanism. Usually this hand-device is in the form of a plunger which depresses a piston within a pistonchamber that communicates with the startand-stop mechanism through a flexible tubing, so as to control said mechanism by pneumatic pressure;but the control may be mechanical or electric, and the hand-actuated member may be something other than a plunger. The present invention, though applicable to any device of this character, will be described in connection with a handactuated plunger for a pneumatic control. In these devices, the operator starts the talking-machine by depressing the plunger (or other device), and he has to hold it depressed in order to maintain the machine in operative movementwhile he is dictating; and as soon as he releases the plunger the machine comes to a standstill.

One object of the present invention is to provide an automatic catch. By this means, the talking-machine, when once started, will continue in operative movement without imposing upon the operator the strain of continuing to hold the plunger (or the like) in operative position, yet can be stopped instantly whenever desired. Another object of the invention is to provide means for rendering such automatic catch inoperative when desired, so that then the talking-machine may be controlled manually in the ordinary manner. The invention, then, consists of the combination, with a suitable hand-control, ef an automatic catch; also of means for rendering such automatic catch inoperative when desired; and also of var1- ous features of construction and arrangelment hereinafter set forth and claimed.

'tion of the scope of the invention.

In these drawings n Figure l is a general view, on a small scale, of a conventional dictaphone speakingtube carrying the usual pneumatic handcontrol equipped with the new automatic catch;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section through the device;

F ig. 3 is a longitudinal section through the upper end of the casing thereof, at right angles to Fig. 2, and showing a side view of some of the interior parts, with the automatic-catch locked in its inoperative position; and

Figs. 4E and 5 are a side-view and transverse section, respectively, of a detail.

The piston-chamber 1' has at its lower end a reduced outlet through a nozzle 2, to which is connected the flexible tubing 3 that leads to the usual start-and-stop mechanism of the talking-machine. The piston 4 is adapted to reciprocate snugly within its chamber. An elongated casing 5 extends from the upper end of the piston-chamber; and the piston-rod 6 passes through casing 5 and extends beyond the same to terminate in a knob 7. At the upper end of the casing is provided a guide 8 for the rod. Within the casing a coiled spring 9 surrounds the rod,

with its ends bearing respectively against the upper head of the piston-chamber and against a collar l0 secured rigidly to the piston-rod, for normally holding the piston in its upper position, with the knob 7 protruded, as seen in Fig. 2. A second collar may be secured upon the rod 6, at a suitable distance above said collar 10, to limit the outward travel of the rod. Wings 11-11 yare carried by the casing 5, for attaching the device to the dictation-tube, as indicated in Fig. 1.

Within the casing and loosely surroundving the piston-rod, is a sleeve 12 having lugs 13 between which is pivoted a lever whose that normally forces the lower end or nose 16 of said lever against the piston-rod. rlhis rod is cut away to provide an annular shoulder 17 so located that when the knob 7 has been pushed down, for starting the talkingmacrhine, the nose 16 will be automatically caused to engage said shoulder and hold the Vplunger depressed. A spring-pressed plunger-pin 18 extends radially into the casi-ng, through an opening in the upper portion thereof, and acts upon the upper end 14: of

-the lever, so that by lpushing this plunger inward the nose 16 is forced outwardly, thus releasing the piston-rod and enabling the coiled spring 9 to restore the piston and its rod to their normal position.

Referring to Figs. 4 and 5, through the upper portion of the wall of the casing 5 there is a transverse slot having a slight =en largement 19 intermediate the ends thereof and greater enlargements 20 and 21 at the right and left respectively. Upon the outer end of transverse plunger-pin 18 is a pushbutton 22 and a: loose sleeve 23 having a milled head, between which bears the small coiled spring 24:.V The inner end of this sleeve can enter the end-enlargements 20 and 21, but is too large to enter the intermediate opening 19; and around the inner end of the sleeve 23 Vis an annular groove which can enterv said transverse slot, as indicated in Fig. 3, where the shoulders that define the Y groove prevent the sleeve being moved inwardly or outwardly.

For utilizing the automatic catch, the

Y inner end of the sleeve as well as of the plunger-pin 18 being inserted into either one of the two enlargements, 20 or 21, the pin itself is then screw-threaded into the upper end 14 of the lever,-which latter can be brought into position to receive the plunger either at 20 or at 21, because it is Y mounted upon the sleeve 12 that can turn upon the piston-rod 6 as an axis. The .plunger-pin can move in and out through the opening in the casing 5, so that the bladespring 15 can bring the lever-nose 16 into engagement with the shoulder 17 when the knob 7 is depressed,-thus holding the plunger downward and maintaining the talkingmachine in operation until, by pressing upon V button 22, the catch is released and the main- Y spring 9 lifts the piston and brings the talking-machine to a standstill.A The provision of the two alternative operative positions for the push-button (at 20 and at 21) is for the convenience of left-handed as well as righthanded persons; and the milled head on the sleeve is convenient for making the shift from one positionto another.

To render the automatic catch inoperative, the sleeve 23 is drawn slightly outward (by its milled head) and its annular groove inserted into the .narrow portion 'of the transverse slot, and the sleeve and plunger are then shifted into the intermediate position where they come to rest in the seat 19, with the end-face of said sleeve bearing against and depressing the member 14. This holds the member 141 so far inwardly that its nose 16 cannot engage the shoulder 17 when the knob 7 has been depressed. In colisequence, the plunger-rod is free to move up and down, and the user has to hold the knob depressed while. using the talking-machine.

The invention has thus been described with considerable det-ail, but only for the sake of clearness, and in order to illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention rather than to .impose limitations thereon. It will be understood that various modifications may be resorted to, and parts transposed or even omitted, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. The herein-described control for startand-stop mechanism for talking-machines. comprising a reciprocable rod having an annular shoulder thereon, a sleeve surrounding said rod and carrying a spring-pressed lever one end of which is adapted to engage said shoulder to hold said rod against reverse movement, a casing surrounding said rod and sleeve and having a transverse slot with an intermediate enlargement and greater enlargements at the two ends thereof, a headed plunger-pin carrying a groovcd sleeve adapted to enter the greater end-enlargements aforesaid but not said intermediate enlargement, and a spring interposed between said sleeve and the head of said pin, whereby said pin can be at will secured in engagement with said lever lto constitute either right-hand or left-hand releasingmeans for the automatic catch provided by said lever and shoulder, and whereby said -pin can also be engaged with said lever to lock said automatic catch in inoperative position.

2. The4 herein-described control for startand-stop mechanism for talking-machines, consisting of the combination of a manually-actuated device comprising a rod having an annular shoulder thereon, a sleeve surrounding said rod and carrying a springpressed lever one end of which is adapted to engage said shoulder, a spring-pressed plunger engaging the other end of said lever for disengaging the same from said shoulder, and means for locking said lever against engagement with said shoulder.

3. The herein-described control for startand-stop mechanism for talking-machines, consisting of the combination of a manuallyactuated device comprising a rod having an annular shoulder thereon, -a sleeve surrounding said rod and carrying a spring-pressed said shoulder, and a spring-pressed plunger engaging the other end of said lever for disengaging the same from said shoulder.

4. rlhe herein-described control for startand stop mechanism for talking-machines, comprising the combination of a manual de vice for actuating said start-and-stop mechanism, a catch brought into operation by the movement of said manual device and thereby maintaining the parts in position for the running-operation of said machine, a second manual device for releasing said catch, and means for preventing said catch from being brought into operation.

5. -The herein-described control for startand-stop mechanism foi"talking1naehines, comprising a reciprocable rod having an annular shoulder thereon, a sleeve surrounding said rod and carrying a spring-pressed lever one end of which is adapted to engage said shoulder to hold said rod against reverse movement, a casing surrounding said rod and sleeve and having a transverse slot With an enlargement at each end thereof, and a plunger-pin adapted to enter either of the enlargements aforesaid, whereby said pin can be at Will secured in engagement With 'said lever to constitute either right-hand or left-hand releasing-means for the automatic catch provided by said lever and shoulder.

6. The herein-described control for s tartand-stop mechanism for talking-machines, consisting of the combination of a manually-actuated device comprising a rod having an annular shoulder thereon, a sleeve surrounding said rod and carryin a springpressed lever one end of Which 1s adapted to engage said shoulder, and a springpressed plunger engaging the other end of said lever for disengaging the same from said shoulder.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses. CLINTON E. WOODS. Witnesses v JOHN S. GmrFrrH,

LAURETTA T. NEAL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

